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Panthera gombaszoegensis was recorded over from 100 African and Eurasian localities, ranged between 2.5 and 0.3 Myr. Among them, seven cave sites, Żabia, Tunel Wielki, Kozi Grzbiet, Draby 3, Poludniowa, Biśnik, and Komarowa caves, dated in the range of 1.7–0.3 Myr, were those in Poland. They were located in Sudety Mts, Krakow-Czestochowa Upland, Wielun Upland and Holy Cross Mts. The material from Polish sites is not very numerous, being represented mostly by isolated teeth, metapodials and phalanges, however it is well informative diagnostically. From each site, except the Biśnik Cave, remains of a single large-sized individual, mostly of males, were found. The oldest record from Żabia Cave, dated on 1.7–1.5 Myr, because of lack of suifficient diagnostic features, was classified as P. gombaszoegensis. Bones from the other sites were assigned to Panthera gombaszoegensis gombaszoegensis, late Early and Middle Pleistocene chronoform widespread in Eurasia. Analysis of a large series of teeth size in the course of time does not showed any particular changes, and the size of the Eurasian jaguar was more or less comparatively large through its entire timespan occurrence. Panthera gombaszoegensis was ecologically flexible species able to hunt in a wide prey spectrum; its size, comparable with that of a small lion Panthera leo (Linnaeus, 1758) or island tiger Panthera tigris (Linnaeus, 1758), guaranteed this jaguar one of the leading position among large carnivores. This was a member of stabile by 1 Myr carnivore paleoguild, single, conical-toothed cat, and it was well adapted to changed environmental conditions initiated by glacial-interglacial cycles. It seems that climate changes do not affected so much on P. gombaszoegensis as previously thought. The main factor responsible for the jaguar decline was the arrival of the Pleistocene lion, which affected negatively and caused strong competition. Because to its flexibility, jaguar was able to survive relatively longer than other ancient carnivores. Gradually as the density and abundance of the lion increased, a compact and wide geographic range started to shrink up to the form of isolated areas. Areas with the last, relict jaguar survivors were located far away one from another and overwhelmed by populations of P. s. fossilis. The final extinction of the species was between 350 and 300 kyr, and among them Polish find from the layer 19ad of Biśnik Cave should be highlighted as one of the latest Eurasian record of Panthera gombaszoegensis.

Panthera spelaea was recorded in Poland from 18 open-air and 42 cave sites dated in the range 750–28 ka. Most of these records are located in southern Poland (Silesia) and neighbouring areas. Among them, the find of Panthera spelaea in Kozi Grzbiet mentioned here for the first time is one of the oldest European records of the species. Most of the obtained AMS dates are concentrated on the second half of MIS 3 and showed that the Pleistocene lion disappeared more or less synchronously across Poland. The findings of its remains from open-air sites are mostly accidental discoveries during field works, while those in caves are mostly connected with archaeological research and the exploitation of cave sediments for producing fertilizers. Aside of a few juvenile bones and milk teeth, the remains of adult individuals, mostly males, predominate in the studied sample. Their behavior to hunting cave bear during the times, when the other, more typical food sources were scarce, tendention to hunt very big preys and went into the conflicts with other carnivores than females do, resulted in higher injuries and mortalities. Within the species, three chronosubspecies were recognized, with P. s. fossilis recorded from 7 sites, dated between 750 and 240 ka and P. s. intermedia only partially recognized in Wierzchowska Gorna Cave. The most numerous are the remains of P. s. spelaea which were found in 48 localities dated between 150 and 28 ka. With the exception of four caves, the Polish finds of P. spelaea are generally less abundant at sites where they occur. Older P. s. fossilis, dated on MIS 19–12, was a large form with robust stature and broad cheek teeth. Younger P. s. fossilis dated on MIS 11–9 was represented by a large and massive specimens, but with more advanced morphological dental features. Polish individuals of P. s. spelaea were slightly smaller and less massive than P. s. fossilis, with narrower cheek teeth. Since MIS 3, a dwarf and gracile specimens appeared, which is correlated with the genetic turnover ca. 48–45 ka. The Pleistocene lion was one of the earliest disappeared large carnivores predated only by a cave hyena. There are no direct evidences of P. spelaea encounters with humans. The extinction of P. spelaea is broadly correlated with the general collapse of the “mammoth steppe” ecosystem and was resulted of multiple reasons like climatic changes, re-building of herbivore guilds, competition and human pressure. Wolf and, to a lesser extent, bears were the main competitors for the Pleistocene lion in Poland.

The saiga antelope ( Saiga tatarica ), which today is a specialist steppe herbivore adapted to long-distance migrations in massive herds, appeared at irregular intervals in the Late Pleistocene Europe. Its special ecological requirements limited the number and timing of dispersal events. In the Eemian the saiga was absent on the continent. During MIS 5d-a, MIS 4 and MIS 3 its range was restricted to steppe areas north of the Black Sea. In MIS 2 and the Late Glacial (MIS 1) this species was able to colonize Central Europe at least three or four times and Western Europe at least twice. The most successful second migration dates to part of GS-2c, GS-2b and part of GS-2a, from ca. 19.5 to 15.3 cal ka BP when the saiga reached southern France. During GI-1d (Older Dryas), ca. 14.0 cal ka BP, the saiga reached England. The first migration during the GI-2 warm phase (ca. 23.7–23.3 cal ka BP) and the last one (ca. 13.5 cal ka BP) in the GI–1c 2 cool phase were probably restricted to Central Europe.

The Pleistocene lion Panthera spelaea was not a homogenous taxon; it was represented by three chronoforms. The oldest one, from the Early and Middle Pleistocene, was P. s. fossilis, the youngest was the Late Pleistocene cave lion P. s. spelaea. The intermediate form between them was P. s. intermedia. The scarcity of stratigraphically old lion made it difficult to understand the evolution of this carnivore. Therefore, we revised the fossil material of the Pleistocene lion from Polish excavation sites. The analysis revealed the presence of P. s. fossilis in 7 sites: Tunel Wielki, Poludniowa, Wschodnia, Draby, Biśnik, Deszczowa and Wierzchowska Gorna caves. The remains from these localities significantly differed in their average size and teeth proportions from the nominate younger chronoform, i.e. the cave lion. Using this material and all other available data, we compared the lion remains grouped into four palaeoclimate periods: MIS 17-12, MIS 11-9, MIS 8-6 and MIS 5-2. We found significant time-related trends in many morphometric features of dentition and limb bones. Between the first two periods, the lion became larger but from MIS 8, it gradually decreased in size. The teeth showed a much greater rate of changes than the metapodial bones, which in turn were characterised by more heterogeneous and mosaic evolution. The changes observed in the fossil material can result from in situ evolution of lion populations occupying Europe or immigration and replacement of the native forms by those from other regions, for example Asia.

In Central Europe, a major gap in the radiocarbon chronology of Mammuthus primigenius has resulted from the absence of dated records in most of the area north of the Sudetes and Carpathian mountains. This paper presents almost 60 directly dated mammoth remains, based both on new research and published sources from the whole of Poland. The dates, ranging from ca. 54 to 15 cal. ka BP (51.8–12.6 ka BP), are correlated with Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS 3) and MIS 2 of the Late Pleistocene. The mammoth was able to colonise this region at least three to four times. The number of mammoths was probably reduced during the middle of MIS 3, between ca. 43.2 cal. ka BP (39.0 ka BP) and 40.6 cal. ka BP (35.9 ka BP), as well as between ca. 34.8 cal. ka BP (30.5 ka BP) and 32.1 cal. ka BP (27.4 ka BP). Also, at the beginning of MIS 2 ca. 27.5 cal. ka. BP (ca. 22.8 ka BP) woolly mammoth probably became very rare in the studied area until ca. 24 cal. ka BP (ca. 20.2 ka BP), the beginning of H2 cold event. In the middle of MIS 2, between ca. 24.1 cal. ka BP to ca. 18.3 cal. ka BP (ca. 20.2 ka BP to ca. 14.6 ka BP), Mammuthus withdrew from Poland entirely. From ca. 18.3 cal. ka BP (ca. 14.6 ka BP) to 15.0 cal. ka BP (12.6 ka BP) the mammoth reoccupied part of its former range, the south-eastern part of Poland (Lublin Upland) and the easternmost part of Sudetes foothills and the upper Odra river valley. The marked loss of open habitats at the beginning of the Lateglacial Interstadial was followed by the retreat and extinction of M. primigenius in southern Poland around 15.0 cal. ka BP (12.6 ka BP).

A new Greek sequence of early Upper Palaeolithic, Aurignacian, Epigravettian, and Mesolithic assemblages, which differs from the sequences of Franchthi and Kephalari caves, was uncovered during the excavations in Cave 1 in Klisoura Gorge (Western Peloponnese). This is the first case of Middle Palaeolithic deposits immediately covered by an early Upper Palaeolithic assemblage. The long Middle Palaeolithic in this site underlies a long sequence of Upper Palaeolithic layers. Most interesting is the Early Upper Palaeolithic industry which contains numerous arched backed blades and other lithics demonstrating morphological affinities to the Italian Uluzzian, a resemblance that raises questions concerning the potential makers of this industry. Above it, several Aurignacian levels dated from 24 to 34 ka bp were exposed. This is the first well-dated sequence of Aurignacian occupations in Greece in which a number of basin-like hearth structures were exposed, lined with a clay that had been brought in and specially prepared. The Aurignacian sequence is covered by Epigravettian layers. The unconformity between the Epigravettian and the underlying Aurignacian corresponds to the Last Glacial Maximum. A Mesolithic layer caps the prehistoric sequence.